Concentric Circles Art Project

 

Concentric Circles

There is no must in art because art is free”

~Wassily Kandinski

The Artist

Wassily Kandinsky was known for his colorful abstract art. Born in Russia and trained as a lawyer, he became a well-known artist in the famous Blue Rider Group. He also taught at the German Bauhaus school of art. Later, he settled in France and died in Neuilly-sur-Seine in 1944.  A well-known work of art is his Concentric Circles.

Concentric Circles Art Project

Concentric Circles is a great project for students to feel successful. Even young students love experimenting with different color combinations.

We love using oil pastels for this project. The artist originally used paint and we have seen successful versions made with pretty much any art materials under the sun. You can pull this project off with crayons and scrap paper if necessary.

There are many YouTube video lessons to choose from to inspire your students. This is one of our favorites. The teacher used black construction paper instead of white and it looks great as well.

 

Materials For Concentric Circles

  • Paper
  • Pastels/Crayons

Procedure

Model folding the paper four times and then unfolding it. The creases become the frames for the concentric circles. Show students how to draw the circles with the oil pastels. The thicker they color in, the more colorful the image becomes.

Have fun creating! If you liked our concentric circles art project, please check out more of our (Almost) No Prep Art Projects.

STEAM Education Fibonacci Numbers

 

steam

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.

~ Albert Einstein

Leonardo Pisano Bogollo, aka Fibonacci rediscovered the number pattern that is now generally referred to as the Fibonacci sequence. Fibonacci recognized that certain numbers seem to occur in nature more frequently than chance would allow. The number sequence is also used to calculate the golden mean or golden ratio, known in mathematics by the Greek letter phi.

You can easily calculate the sequence in your classroom or at home by adding the last two numbers to make the next.

Here is the sequence:

0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34…

The first two numbers in the sequence are added and the sum creates the next number.

0+1=1. 1+1=2 2+1=3 3+2=5

We usually open our Fibonacci math enrichment unit with posting the number sequence on the board as a challenge. We ask the class to find the pattern. Surprisingly enough even the first graders usually figure it out.

One of our favorite activities is to go on a Fibonacci number hunt walk. We take the kids for a walk and try to find natural items that show numbers in the Fibonacci sequence.

Here are some example from our last walk

Bougainvillea
Bougainvillea

The Bougainvillea shows three bright pink leaves.

This California native has 5 petals.

Daisy_January_2008-1

We had to count a lot of petals to find a perfect daisy.

We wrote in our journals and drew some of the flowers after the hike. A great way to introduce kids to the Fibonacci sequence.

 

 

 

Boat Making STEAM Challenge

Boat making is one of our favorite STEAM challenges. Not only do you get to engineer and design a boat, you also get to test it out in water. What could be better, right?

Materials

  • Corks
  • Rubber bands
  • Toothpicks
  • Colored construction paper
  • Small inflatable pool or water table

We show the kids how to wrap the corks with rubber bands. Three work nicely to make a boat. The kids then decorate it with sails made from construction paper and toothpicks. Students are allowed to experiment with the supplies and built a boat however they want. The activity can easily take an hour, depending on how much time you have.

Having fund with STEAM challenges? Here are more ideas:

5 STEAM Tinker Space Ideas

Students often tell us that their favorite part of STEAM education is the tinkering aspect. They enjoy experimenting with new materials and using things in new ways. In the beginning this meant that we took out a giant box of random materials and soon the classroom descended into chaos. The kids loved it but the clean up required was stifling our enthusiasm for such activities. Here are some great ideas for tinker spaces, but remember, a box full of random materials is still a child’s greatest treasure.

1. Materials Wall

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A place for everything and everything in its place. Peg boards are a great way to organize supplies.  Students can easily see what is available. Labels help to keep things neat.

2. Supply Storage

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Some of our favorite supplies are popsicle sticks, rubber bands, and tin foil. Kids can get creative with pretty much about anything. If you have absolutely no use for an item, you can be sure students will find a way to create something amazing with it.

3. Display Space

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A shelf to display tinker creations and curiosities is a great way to set the mood. We like to rotate the artifacts frequently and the kids love the recognition. A big part of STEAM education is the art aspect of it. Artistic touches and displays are a teaching tool in itself.

4. Lego Mindstorms

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To have a robotics center takes a tinker space to a whole new level. LEGO Mindstorm is one of the easiest to use systems available on the educational market. Students can work in groups, so a few sets can go a long way. This is definitely a “in a perfect world” kind of addition to a tinker space.

6. Research Area

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Tinker enthusiasts love to read! We like to have a collection of science and engineering books available. The key is not to clutter the area but to present a select collection of books and rotate them throughout the year.

We would love to hear from you.  How does your tinker space look like? What are your experiences with STEAM education?